New Olympic TV experience 'like being in the stadium'

A select few have been allowed a glimpse at what might lie ahead for the future of television.

A trial of super hi vision, a technology that provides a picture 16 times as sharp as HDTV, has been held as part of the 2012 London Olympics.

The technology, which has been developed by the Japanese broadcaster NHK, was used to beam pictures of Olympic swimmers to a cinema-sized screen at the BBC's Broadcasting House in London, as well as other venues in Glasgow, Bradford, Tokyo, Fukushima and Washington DC.

According to a report by the BBC, the event was used to demonstrate the next-generation technology that some believe could start to appear in homes by 2016.

According to Tim Plyming, who is leading the BBC's Olympic trials of super hi vision, the picture provided by the technology is so clear, viewers feel like they are looking through a glass wall.

One member of the public described the experience as "amazing".

"You really do feel like you're in the stadium, in the atmosphere," they added.